Skybuster (oz15706)

About this Plan

Skybuster. Radio control fun-fly model. Wingspan 54 in, for .40 to .60 engines.

Quote: "Skybuster. Mike White guides us through the construction of his fun-fly machine.

Do you remember those days, about two hundred years ago, when we were kids and had real fun with our model planes? Well, I've found them again with 'Skybuster'. Yee-Ha!

In truth this really is a big fun model. With over 900 square inches of wing area, a loading of 12 - 13 ounces per square foot and with a .60 engine doing the work, it will go straight up almost forever. It's fairly cheap to build for its size, it's one piece and the overall performance. slow or fast, will satisfy even the most demanding hot dogger. You can fly it as fast, or as slowly, as you want. Take it up high, power down, drop some flap and if you are lucky, even catch a thermal - true! Fly some aerobatics, while still gliding, that works too. In a 10 - 15 knot wind you can even fly backwards, not tail first, but backwards - you know!

On its maiden flight Skybuster came around onto the approach at the end of the first circuit and 'bang', the starboard half of the tailplane disintegrated. I thought that it had been fired at by the farmer with a 12 bore shotgun. Luckily, the remaining half was the piece holding the elevator control horn. I landed PDQ I can tell you. When I was doing the repair I found that the remaining half was also broken and was only being held together by the Solarfilm covering. So, modifications now include a removable tailplane section as I think damage may have occurred getting the model into and out of my Citroen BX, just in case the original built-up construction was not up to the loads put upon it a part sheet balsa tailplane is now used.

Performance with a .40 engine is more like that of the true lightly loaded fun model but does require more flying finesse. I should also say at this point that Skybuster is not for the beginner and requires a flier adept with an aileron model, as the roll rate is quite high even on low rate. My previous two smaller models of the type, Pepper Sprout (oz14125) and High Five (oz11156) were a compromise between those and the normal high performance sport aerobatic models. As the wing area increases it is easier to control the weight and therefore keep the wing loading down.

On the prototype model I fitted a little used Super Tigre .60 engine, circa 1975, which I suppose is approximately equivalent to a modern Schneurle ported engine of .45 capacity. With the Super Tigre I can do a rolling loop of 10 - 12 ft diameter. It does this quite easily and I only use a Futaba Skysport transmitter, not one of the super computer types - one day though, one day! With a computer tranny almost anything could be flown as so many control surface combinations may be dialled in.

With my Skysport tranny I am frequently flicking switches - sometimes the wrong one and often I forget which combination I have selected with hilarious results. Some suggested control surface combinations for computer radio users, would be..."

Skybuster, from RCM&E April 1998.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction